Whether or not one likes CNN, the fact is that the media has a place in covering major events. It is a hallmark of third world nations, or rather oppressive nations, to violently suppress media reporting about problems or protests, including arresting journalists. This just happened on CNN while broadcasting live, as state police arrested a journalist who identified himself earlier, and then the police tried seemingly to lie about why he was arrested.
A CNN crew was arrested by police Friday morning while giving a live television report in Minneapolis, where the crew was covering ongoing protests over the death of George Floyd.
The crew, including correspondent Omar Jimenez, were handcuffed and detained as Jimenez gave a live report on a Minneapolis street shortly after 5 a.m. CT (6 a.m. ET).
Police told the crew they were being detained because they were told to move, and didn’t, one member of the CNN crew relayed to the network.
Officers approached the crew as they moved in to arrest a protester behind them.
Jimenez could be seen holding his CNN badge while reporting, identifying himself as a reporter, and telling the officers the crew would move wherever officers needed them to. An officer gripped his arm as Jimenez talked, then put him in handcuffs.
“We can move back to where you like. We are live on the air here. … Put us back where you want us. We are getting out of your way — wherever you want us (we’ll) get out of your way,” Jimenez said before he was led away.
“We were just getting out of your way when you were advancing through the intersection,” Jimenez said.
Jimenez and the crew had been reporting from the site — near a city police department precinct that protesters had burned and officers had abandoned overnight. About a block away, a fire was burning at a different, four-story building that had contained restaurants.
Over 100 state police officers in body armor and riot gear had arrived and lined up near the area where the CNN crew was, near the precinct building on East Lake Street.
After the photographer was arrested, his camera was set on the ground and continued to transmit live images. (source)
Some people are saying the arrest may have been racially motivated. I’m not going to try to touch on that, because to me it is actually the less relevant point rather than the general principle, which is that the police are essentially arresting reporters for doing their job, not interfering, and then lying about the arrests.
This is a sign of a burgeoning dictatorship, without any exaggerations made. America is fundamentally transforming, and this is not something that can be blamed on either political party. The Democrats, while they are openly admitting support of socialism, are at least honest about doing it, which is more respectable than the Republicans, who preach one line but openly do another.
This is not about political bickering. It is that men do not want to live in peace any more with each other. Instead, they have chosen the long and hard arm of force and power. This is a historical problem and it never ends well for anybody.
It has been noted before that while protests can be effective, there comes a time when they are not anymore. Historically speaking, this seems to be that particular time. If anything, having protests will only serve to get one arrested and imprisoned, possibly on false charges, just as what happens to people in many other parts of the world.
There are more effective ways to express disagreements. Likewise, any protest going forward should be considered as suspect, because aside from the fact that if these really were organic protests the US military would violently suppress them as American history consistently shows, it is not worth the legal risk and extensive economic and personal costs in resources, time, and energy to go through a legal battle over something that will not make any fundamental difference for oneself or for a society of people who do not care about each other and live as isolated units whose care only is aroused once the television ceased to function or the Internet is turned off.